Goldust debuted in WWE in September of 1995 and quickly became one of the most controversial characters in WWE history - though his gimmick was ostensibly that of a film-obsessed relic from Hollywood's golden age, he was more well known for making unwanted sexual advances toward his opponents. In January of 1996, Goldust's real-life wife joined the act as his manager, Marlena, ratcheting up the erotic nature of the act. Goldust and Marlena turned face in 1997, but when Goldust became a heel again at the end of the year, he left his manager permanently. In reality, Dustin Runnels and Terri Boatwright met while working in WCW, and the two were married in 1993. As Alexandra York, Boatwright had already been a manager, so her transition to Marlena went smoothly. The two divorced in 1999, but continued to work in WWE for years afterward, eventually getting past their acrimony.
Scott Fried is a Slammy Award-winning* writer living and working in New York City. He has been following/writing about professional wrestling for many years and is a graduate of Lance Storm's Storm Wrestling Academy. Follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/scottfried.
*Best Crowd of the Year, 2013
